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Roland MC-8 Microcomposer
The Roland MC-8 MicroComposer by the Roland Corporation was introduced in early 1977 at a list price of US$4,795 (¥1,200,000 JPY). It was the first stand-alone microprocessor-driven CV/Gate music sequencer, Chadabe, Joel. 1997. Electric Sound: The Past and Promise of Electronic Music. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, (p. 194). and an early polyphonic sequencer.Paul Théberge (1997), [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=asBnYmKKz6kC&pg=PA223 Any Sound You Can Imagine: Making Music/Consuming Technology, page 223], Wesleyan University PressHerbert A. Deutsch (1985), [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=tjEJAQAAMAAJ Synthesis: an introduction to the history, theory & practice of electronic music], page 96, Alfred Music Roland called the MC-8 a "computer music composer" and it was considered revolutionary at the time, introducing new features, such as a keypad to enter note information; 16 kilobytes of random access memory which allowed a maximum sequence length of 5200 notes, a huge step forward from the 8-16 step sequencers at the time; the allocation of multiple pitch CVs to a single Gate channel, creating polyphonic parts within the overall sequence; and eight-channel polyphony, allowing the creation of polyrhythmic sequences. Due to the high price, only 200 units were sold worldwide, but it represented a huge leap forward in music technology. It was the first in the Microcomposer family of sequencers, including the Roland MC-4 Microcomposer and Roland MC-202. The Roland MC-8 had a significant impact on electronic music, with the MC-8 and its descendants having more of an impact on electronic music production in the 1970s and 1980s than any other family of sequencers. CV/Gate sequencers such as the MC-8 and MC-4 were eventually succeeded by MIDI sequencers in the 1980s. Overview The MicroComposer could precisely adjust multiple sound producing and effects elements of a synthesizer, such as the VCO, VCF, and other voltage-controlled components very rapidly, which is nearly impossible to do manually by a performer. The MC-8 was designed to work with large complex modular synthesizers such as the System 700 and System-100M. It could also be used during a live performance to control lighting by using pre-programmed, timed pulses, and pre-programmed timed voltage levels. In the early 1970s, Ralph Dyck, a Canadian composer and technologist, developed a prototype digital sequencer, based on TTL digital circuitry, shift-register memory, and single-channel audio. There were no North American companies interested in his prototype, until Japanese company Roland took an interest in it. Roland founder Ikutaro Kakehashi saw the prototype, and decided to build a digital sequencer based on his prototype, making a number of major changes. Kakehashi decided to replace the TTL circuity with a microprocessor, replace the small shift-register memory with larger RAM memory, and increase the audio channels from a single channel to eight channels. As Dyck was generally unfamiliar with how to use a microprocessor for a sequencer, Kakehashi hired Yukio Tamada to design and build a microprocessor-based sequencer. Roland switched from discrete circuity to the then brand new Intel 8080A 8-bit microprocessor and increased the memory from 512 bytes shift-register memory to 16 KB RAM memory, allowing storage of over 5,300 notes, which could be entered via the calculator keyboard (the preferred method) or recorded in real-time (not so easy). Backup was via cassette and could take 45 minutes to an hour for a three- or four-minute piece of music to back up and verify. The memory was volatile, so a loss of power meant complete loss of data. All parameters were variable so the scale and time-base could be assigned number values to suit the needs of the piece being programmed. This made the machine extremely versatile but somewhat unfriendly to approach for the first time. While only 200 units were sold worldwide, the MC-8 was a revolutionary product. It provided storage for variables in analogue sound production, synchronization capability for multi-channel recording (the time-code could be recorded on a spare track), sufficient capacity for recording full compositions, editing capabilities and rapid access time. The MC-8 provided eight control voltage outputs and eight gate outputs, as well as a six-bit multiplex output with a special seventh bit set aside for portamento control. Popular music The earliest known band to utilize the MC-8 was the Japanese electronic group Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978, for their self-titled album and for member Ryuichi Sakamoto's solo album Thousand Knives, with Hideki Matsutake as the programmer for both albums. The swingy funk element present throughout Yellow Magic Orchestra was expressed by Matsutake programming through subtle variations of the MC-8's input. At the time, Billboard noted that the use of such computer-based technology in conjunction with synthesizers allowed Yellow Magic Orchestra to create new sounds that were not possible until then. The band later described the MC-8, along with member Hideki Matsutake who programmed it, as an "inevitable factor" in both their music production and live performances. GiorgioMoroder was another early commercial user of the MC-8, having used it from the late 1970s to the 1980s. Richard James Burgess and John L. Walters from the band Landscape were also among the first major commercial users of the MC-8. They began experimenting with computer-programmed music and Burgess's co-designed SDS5 electronic drums in the late 1970s making records in the emerging New Romantic, electronic dance music and synthpop genres. They triggered various synths such as the Roland System 100 and Moogs which also used CV/Gate. Burgess created the drum parts by using the multiplex outputs of the MC8 to trigger the prototype, breadboard version of the SDS5 drum synthesizer. Most of the album From the Tea-rooms of Mars (1981) was made this way and Burgess produced many other tracks this way including the European club hit "Angel Face" (1980) for the group Shock. Burgess and Walters demonstrated the MC-8 on BBC TV's Tomorrow's World. Notable users * Altered Images * Richard James BurgessDr Ron Moy, [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=nd2hAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA77 Kate Bush and Hounds of Love, page 77], Ashgate Publishing * Chris CarterChris Carter, ROLAND MC8 MICROCOMPOSER, Sound on Sound, Vol.12, No.5, March 1997 * Suzanne Ciani * Vince ClarkeThe 30 Top Instruments and Innovations of Roland’s Ikutaro Kakehashi (1930-2017), Electronic Musician * Chris & Cosey * Kraftwerk * Landscape * Giorgio MoroderGiorgio Moroder Gear Guide, Dolphin Music * Human League * Martin Rushent * Ryuichi Sakamoto * Pete Shelley * Tangerine Dream * Throbbing Gristle * Isao Tomita * Toto * Yellow Magic Orchestra * Hans Zimmer Microcomposer series ;Standalone sequencers *Roland MC-8 Microcomposer (1977) *Roland MC-4 Microcomposer (1981) ;Grooveboxes *Roland MC-202 (1983) *Roland MC-303 (1996) *Roland MC-505 (1998) *Roland MC-09 (1999) *Roland MC-307 (1999) *Roland MC-909 (2002) *Roland MC-808 (2006) References External links * Roland MC-8 MicroComposer Blog MC-8